UT coach gets apology for hotel woes

Posted: Tuesday, November 30, 1999

The Associated Press

COLLEGE STATION (AP) - The manager of the hotel criticized by Texas coach Mack Brown for mistakes involving the Longhorns' pre-game meal and harassing phone calls before the Texas A&M game said Monday he apologized to Brown and disputed some of the coach's claims.

"It's unfortunate," said Ramada Inn-College Station manager Dinesh Patel. "Of course, there was a little bit of chaos."

Brown bitterly complained during the weekend that the hotel was so late serving the pre-game breakfast that some players did not eat before last Friday's 20-16 loss to the Aggies. Even when food was served, it was not the steak and eggs for which Texas paid, school officials said.

Someone at the hotel also broke a confidentiality agreement and posted the room numbers of the coaches and players on the Internet, Brown said.

Coaches started getting harassing phone calls at 4 a.m, Brown said. It was not clear if any players received calls.

Breakfast was supposed to be served at 6:15 a.m. but no food was ready for at least a half-hour, Brown said. Kickoff was at 10 a.m., and teams try to stick to regimented pre-game schedules.

Patel said breakfast was delayed because some of his kitchen staff was late to work or did not show up.

Patel said that by the time he arrived at 6:55 a.m., the meal seemed to be over and players had broken up into meetings. He said some food was served.

"I talked to coach Mack Brown and apologized. I agreed that we were late and asked him to please accept my apology," Patel said.

Texas assistant athletic director for external services Bill Little said players probably had left to get a meal at a nearby fast-food restaurant by the time Patel arrived. What food was served at the hotel was unsatisfactory, he said.

"Pancakes would be brought out but with no plates. Cereal was brought out, but there was no milk," Little said.

As for the phone calls, Patel said the coaching staff only asked the hotel to block calls to the players, not the coaches. Patel said he didn't know how anyone would have gotten room numbers for the players.

The hotel made 15 to 20 copies of a room list of players and coaches. Most were given to team officials, and at least one was kept at the front desk, Patel said.

"I am not claiming we were 100-percent successful," said Patel, who hosted several teams this season.

"The (Texas) team stayed with us in 1997, and we had no problems. There was nothing we deliberately did," Patel said.

"I've run this business for eight years," he said. "Why would I do something like this?"